I've made some calls to Social Services in her area, for info, but was
told that if found to be mentally competent, & I'm sure she is & would
be---that there would be nothing their office could do; that she has a
right to choose to live that way...

Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted on Friday,
April 11th, 2008 at 08:00 AM.


Relationship : daughter
Source : online searches for hoarding info
Message : My mother is 68 & alone since my father died in early 2006.
  Her problem became more obvious & escalated after our return from
overseas inthe late 70's early 80's. I rarely invited friends over in high
school, because of the condition of the house. Occasionally,  rooms
would be cleared out (they'd "dig out the house"), in order to entertain,
etc,  so the mess wasn't evident.

My father's way of dealing with her problem was to rent storage units,
smoke more, & spend most of his time outside, gardening.

Pneumonia was the official cause of his death, & smoking obviously
didn't help. But upon walking into that house, it was immediately evident
that the high ammonia levels (7+ cats) had to have been a factor. My
brother aired out the house prior to my arrival & got a head start
cleaning litter boxes, but my nose  still burned for hours after leaving the
house. Cat urine was everywhere.

Our mother was furious that we'd opened her windows, because it would
"make her vulnerable to intruders".  The entire upstairs of their large
2 story house was filled with boxes stacked about 4 feet high, complete
with "goat trails" -2 -3 foot paths, winding through the bedroom to
the bath, etc.  It was surreal. (I noticed old patterns, magazines, etc)

The garage, small storage shed, & "apartment", all separate structures
in the yard, were completely full as well. There are -still, 3
additional rented units, as well. 

My childhood dolls, high school art work, family photos, --even my
paternal grandmother's ashes! --have all been hoarded & none, (save the
ashes, finally retrieved & given a proper burial, after alomost 10 yrs in
the garage, thanks to my brother) ever to be seen again. The brother
who lives in her city, though not allowed into her house (no one is), has
seen rats & mice in the storage shed & garage, with large amounts of
damage evident as a result.

My husband & kids attempted to help her clean her garage, (I was "not
welcome")but weren't allowed to throw-away anything, not even a moldy,
ruined wooden memory box, full of seeds that had sprouted & died.

She also fits exactly the description of Paranoid Personality Disorder.
The paranoia extends far past her possessions. While we were growing
up, she kept a stack of 30+ self-help books by her bed, which she would
use to "diagnose" us. whenever she & I argued or disagreed, from the
5th grade on, she would suggest that I was "acting like her sister ----,
& maybe she would have (me) checked". her sister was schizophrenic &
also had multiple personalities. My father, brothers & myself have for
years been accused of "triangulating" against her. My father was also
accused of multiple affairs; ridiculous if you knew him, and many wrong
doings & mistreatment of her.  In my lifetime, she apologized once, &
even then, immediately qualified it.  She is extremely volatile.

She is paying for internet service though the computer hasn't been
hooked up since my father's death. She refused to allow anyone in to help
her. My brother became concerned when she was getting ice from his
house, to help keep her food fresh, because her refridgerator was not
working. The bath evidently isn't or wasn't either, because she's been
bathing in a cleaned out litter box. In addition, when running out of space
at her house, she asked my brother to "store" a new dishwasher she'd
purchased. (he refused). There's evidence that she's dodging bills,
avoiding her mail & calls. She has out-of-state properties she refuses to
sell, though she can not afford the taxes or maintenance.

She presents well & I doubt anyone who knows her has a clue. -My
  friend commented, when looking at some of our family photos taken at a
recent wedding, that she looked like she belonged on the tv show "Dallas".
It was hard for me to reconcile that image with the person I know, but
that's how she appears to others.
I've made some calls to Social Services in her area, for info, but was
told that if found to be mentally competent, & I'm sure she is & would
be---that there would be nothing their office could do; that she has a
right to choose to live that way.

Because she blames everyone else for her problems (it's recently all
become "Dad's stuff"), including her children, deceased husband, extended
family members, accountants, lawyers, etc.   it is very unlikely she
will admit her hoarding problem or seek treatment. -Less likely her
children will be able to improve her living conditions, & more likely we'll
be donning gloves & hiring a city dump truck after her demise or move
into a senior living center years from now.